Привет, я - Julia Slobodyanyuk, SkyUp’s first officer

There's an old black-and-white movie about pilots - "Old men go into battle". When I saw it for the first time, I was 9 years old. After the last title was shown on the screen, I went to my mother's kitchen and said: "I'll be a pilot! Since then, I've never doubted my choice and I've never regretted the path I had to take.

To take the wheel of the Boieng-737 for the first time, I spent four years in a public school, two years in flight schools, worked in Africa and six months studying and training for the Boeing type rating.

Girl pilot

I am very often asked about gender bias in my profession. But I have never actually encountered such an attitude. There is a reason why they come to aviation. Basically, all representatives of heavenly professions are people who live in the sky and love their work. If they see that you work a lot and sincerely want to become a professional, they help and prompt you, not judge.

If I have ever heard phrases like "the sky is not for women", then it’s people who are very far from aviation.

When people see me in uniform, they often ask about my profession. To my answer "pilot", they specify: "You must be a stewardess and just confused. This is one of the very funny situations for me. Also, people always ask me how old I am and wonder if even people as short as me can fly.

Working at SkyUp

Why SkyUp? If you want to become a professional, you have to be really fun and motivating. And our job isn't just about the sky and winged machine. It's also people. Pilots, flight attendants, dispatchers, technicians and dozens of other services that ensure the quality and smooth operation of the airline. All these people should work in an atmosphere of mutual understanding and friendship.

Even before I got a job, I had heard that SkyUp employs professionals who are "burning" with their work. And now all my expectations have been met, I have become part of a friendly aviation family.

It's hard to say what I like most about my work. Every stage of preparation and flight has its own special moments. To wish a good morning to the dispatcher and to hear "successful flight" in return. Listen to the sound of the engine, which goes on modes.

Pilot an airplane that is climbing up. Watch a luxurious Starfall from the cockpit during a night flight. Flashing headlights on the board, that goes higher.. Perhaps the most favorite is the landing stage. The moment when you operate the plane completely by hand. Without an autopilot. You go down to the lowest altitude, see the landing lights and decide to land. And, the moment when the plane gently touches the wheels of the concrete pavement of the strip! It is unforgettable.